Is the sharp drop in poultry egg prices due to pork prices?

(Baonghean.vn) - The sharp drop in pork prices, along with "pork rescue" campaigns, has also affected poultry egg prices, causing them to plummet.

Mr. Vo Van Du, a chicken farm owner in Dong Vinh ward, Vinh City, said: "While at its peak, farm-raised eggs were priced at 22,000 VND per dozen, they are now only 12-13,000 VND per dozen. Even with the price drop, they are still very difficult to sell; we have thousands of eggs in inventory. Currently, the farm has 5,000 laying hens, producing over 4,000 eggs daily. If we could sell them all, we would only earn nearly 5 million VND, while feed costs are 4 million VND, not including labor, electricity, and water expenses…"

“In 2013, I established a cooperative, and my chicken farm received a quarantine certificate from the city's veterinary department, ensuring food safety. Besides supplying Metro and Big C supermarkets, our eggs are also sold to several factories in Nam Cam, restaurants, and even to Laos. However, with prices falling unprecedentedly, we are currently suffering losses,” Mr. Du said.

The sharp drop in egg prices and difficulty in selling them have put many farmers in a difficult situation. Pictured is the chicken farm of Mr. Vo Van Du's family in Dong Vinh, Vinh City. Photo by Thu Huyen.

Not far away, the farm of Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet's family in Yen Giang Hamlet, Dong Vinh Commune, was in a similar situation. We arrived just as she and her husband were transporting over 8,000 eggs to markets to find wholesale buyers. Ms. Tuyet said that her family owns three chicken farms, including 7,000 pullets and 7,000 laying hens. They produce thousands of eggs daily, but they lack storage space. If they don't sell them quickly, the eggs will spoil in this hot weather, so they have to sell them even at a low price.

A solution is needed to certify that products meet the required safety standards. (Photo: Thu Huyen)

Vinh City currently has a total chicken population of over 300,000, with approximately 9 chicken farms in Dong Vinh ward alone, housing over 10,000 laying hens. The farms' current outlets are traditional markets within the province, restaurants, supermarkets, and factories. Each chicken coop requires an investment of 1.6 billion VND, and some even cost 3 billion VND (like Mr. Thanh's farm in Yen Due neighborhood). However, the sharp drop in prices and difficulty in selling the chickens are causing many farm owners to face hardship.

Despite a sharp drop in wholesale prices, our survey shows that retail egg prices in traditional markets are still at 2,500 VND per egg, double the wholesale price. And it's not just chicken eggs; other poultry eggs like duck and quail eggs have also seen price reductions.

Many farmers are currently stockpiling large quantities of chicken eggs. Photo: Thu Huyen

According to many farmers, the reason for the sharp drop in egg prices over the past month is the recent sharp decline in pork prices, leading consumers to switch to pork more often.

Furthermore, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Chairman of the Provincial Farm Economy Association, besides the decrease in pork prices and the corresponding drop in poultry egg prices, another reason is the influx of cheap smuggled goods from China. Consumers also lack confidence in the quality of farm-raised chicken eggs, as many farms use substandard animal feed.

"We have had many discussions with farm owners about improving product quality, but the results have not been as desired. Therefore, the agricultural sector, veterinary agencies, and food safety authorities need to step in to resolve difficulties, inspect, and certify product quality for farms," ​​Mr. Binh said.

Viet Phuong